Box Model & Positioning 101 — Friday, November 2nd

I gave a presentation on Box Model, what it is and what it can do for your layout. This was building on top of last week's lecture on CSS, and why its good for you. We played around a bit in Coda to position out a few simple elements, here's what you all came up with:

We did a quick exercise taking your 11x17 prints and drawing boxes on top of them to strategize how to actually construct the page. This is a method I still use heavily when layout out a new page. This will help a lot in figuring out where to start building a page.

Next week is a double-whammy.

First off: Designing on a grid using box model, how to do multi-column designs and a load of free code!

Followed by: FLASH! You know what it is, but let's talk about why you should use it and why you shouldn't. Best ways to tie flash into your page, and how flash can do more than you think just by being a simple element.

Homework

Keep working on those websites! I'll answer questions you run into!

Email me a link to an awesome website that uses flash! BUT, it can't only use flash. I want links to good uses of flash along side regular ol' website stuff.

C – S – S – Sux! — Friday, October 26th

Today in class we looked at some of the web pages you're making and discussed opportunities for improvement and what elements make websites different (or similar to) print.

I gave a presentation on CSS, what it is and what it can do for your typography. We didn't get into Box placement yet, but we will very soon! Then we cracked into Coda and learned how to do collaborative documents and implementing pages using CSS! Here are our results:

Next week is how to take a design you've put together and strategize how to construct it using Box Model.

Homework

Have your working design for your website ready! Optimally this would be your 'home page' as well as an 'internal page' which in most cases is going to be one of your projects.

Come with a couple 11x17 black and white prints of your design, and a few colored markers!. We're going to be drawing all over them.

Gettin' Ready — Wednesday, October 24th

I hope this is as fun to learn as it is to teach! I look forward to the first class. Please please have this homework done by Friday so we can hit the ground running.

See you Friday!

Homework

What do you want to learn? Please let me know!

Have some idea of what it is your project is going to be, visually. I can already assume for the large majority it's going to be a portfolio website, but what do you want yours to look like?

Have at least 1 mockup that you built in photoshop, illustrator, pens and markers scanned. Your poison of choice.

If you get stuck with ideas, let me know and I'll help you kick-start.